By Jim Kasuba The News-Herald Twitter: @JKasuba

Elizabeth Disney (left) turned out to be a suitable blood stem donor for her sister, Brittany, who is afflicted with Burkitt lymphoma, considered to be an extremely rare disease for a young woman of only 23. Photo courtesy of Donna Smith

RIVERVIEW Battling a rare cancer has been a rough road for Brittany Disney, but the worst may be behind her.

The good news is that a suitable stem cell donor has been found and the transplant surgery went well. The not-so-good news is that theres a long recovery period and shes still in a lot of pain.

Donna Smith, a close friend of the family, said the young woman underwent stem cell replacement on June 6.

There was a one in four chance that a sibling would be a match, Smith said. (Her sister) Elizabeth had five out of six markers to be a stem cell donor for her.

Disney, 23, was diagnosed late last year with stage four Burkitt lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in which cancer starts in immune cells called B-cells. Recognized as the fastest growing human tumor, Burkitt lymphoma is associated with impaired immunity and is rapidly fatal if left untreated.

Burkitt lymphoma is so rare in young adult women that the Henry Ford Health System wrote about the case in a medical journal, said one of Disneys college friends.

In November, friends and family sponsored a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to assist the family with medical bills and expenses, but things continued to look bleak, as a stem cell transplant appeared to be the only answer to treating the condition.

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Riverview woman recovers from stem cell transplant; family seeking notes of encouragement